Cribsheet 14.11.11

Failure to explain university tuition fees will create social mobility crisis, say experts

Student Finance Taskforce leader Martin Lewis says schools must urgently explain to pupils and their parents how the new tuition fees system works. Photograph: Katherine Rose for the Observer
Katherine Rose/Observer

The government's failure to explain its tuition fee policy is a "crisis of communication" that will have devastating effect on social mobility, the Student Finance Taskforce has warned.

"We're approaching the point of no return for getting the message out to new 2012 students. We risk a genuine crisis of communication, with misunderstanding sweeping great swathes of the nation. What's worse is that it's likely to be those from non-traditional university backgrounds, who are typically more debt-averse, who are being put off the most," says taskforce leader Martin Lewis.

The majority of Britons have little-to-no understanding of how tuition fees will work from 2012 onwards and many are being scared off by the higher fees, a survey has found. Only 37% of respondents knew that tuition fees don't need to be paid up front, while 59% admitted they had no idea how the new higher education finance system would work.

"This is tragic and dangerous. I've already heard 11 year olds who have heard the headlines about fees and think they've been written off. We are in real danger of a generation who lose aspiration, yet much of this is psychological and not based on the practical realities. Any first time student can afford to go to university. Neither they nor their parent need to pay to go to university, only graduates pay and then only if they're earning enough," Lewis says.

To address the lack of awareness the taskforce is "calling for all parents, teachers and prospective students not to assume they know how the system works, but to spend 15 minutes reading up on it," said Liam Owens, chair of the Higher Education Liaison Officers Association. The taskforce website has videos, audio, and powerpoint guides to explain the fees system, and well as an online calculator to show students how much they will repay.

Education news from around the web

• The Schools Food Trust is advising teachers not to force children to eat everything on their plates as this could set up a habit of over-eating, the BBC has reported. The children's health charity Shine agree. They said: "Try to stay away from a 'clean plate' policy [and] try not to promote over eating by saying 'If you eat all your dinner you can have a pudding'.

• The government is urging parents to sign up for free school lunches if they are eligible - even if their child isn't going to have the meals - so that their school can still get the Pupil Premium that accompanies free school meal registration. "Schools also receive a payment, or Pupil Premium, for each child who is registered for free school meals - £488 for this school year. This money helps them to provide extra support like extra tuition, learning assistants or after-school clubs," parents are told on the Directgov website.

• Almost one-third of school children worry that they will be bullied on their journey to and from school, research has found. Some 31% of UK children are fearful on the trip to school. Far more than their european counterparts - the average across the EU is 19%, Mancunian matters has reported.

• The Eden project in Cornwall is holding a party for Children in Need on Friday night as thank you to all the people in the South West who have raised money for the charity during the day. Festive treats on offer include ice-skating, christmas decoration-making workshops, lantern parades and hot food. 200 local school children will provide live music, they will be led by Gareth Malone from the hit BBC2 series The Choir.

• Private schools are cutting funding and increasing fees to get through the recession, the BBC is reporting.

• The number of Adult learners has fallen by 12%. Recently released figures show a fall of 411,000 over 19s participating in further education, reports FE Week.

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